The ever-increasing need for automation has brought forth the need for connected machines to work in unison as a network of machines whose actions can be intelligently directed by programmable and adaptive computer implemented network intelligence. In such automation solutions, connected machines communicate with a command and control hub that provides computing and data processing functions for implementing the network intelligence. In some embodiments, connected machines are sensors and devices such as thermostats, light sensors, moisture sensors, weight sensors, electric current and voltage sensors, switches, and motors, heating and cooling equipment. In some embodiments, the connected machines communicate with the network over wireless data networks using protocols such as Zigbee, Zwave, WiFi, Bluetooth, R4FCE and various flavors of IEEE 802.15.4 based protocols.
Many companies in the world such as Lowe's, Smarthings, Wink, Lowe's IRIS etc have recently been offering automation solutions. However, automation solutions currently available in the market have several disadvantages.
Such solutions are capable of providing only a narrow set of specific automation tasks such as thermostat control, security alarm control, lighting control etc.
Such solutions are made for a specific set of use cases with a specific set of connected machines.
Such automation solutions do not allow users of the network of connected machines to build, provision and control said network according to the users' specific needs, without the need for developing software applications. In other words, complex automation logic cannot be implemented by an average smartphone user who can imagine what the automatic logic should be but cannot himself implement the logic as functioning software.
Such automation solutions do not provide a platform for distributing automation logic as customizable software applications that can then be further customized by the user to meet a user's specific automation needs the user's specific network.
Solutions to the aforementioned disadvantages are important in bringing automation solutions to an even larger number of people and processes.